Comments on: 73% more convenient than regular oil paint!

By: davidrourke

davidrourke — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:29:10 +0000

Agnes,

My name is David, actually. Not sure what you are asking about, as I don't suggest adding soap to paint. If you search on this site, you can find information on oil painting without solvents.

By: agnes

agnes — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:12:03 +0000

Hi Martin,

could you give a simple rough "recipe" on how to mix natural soft soap - perhaps other vegetable derived soft soaps behave the same, would be worth experimenting? For example do you mix the soap with oil paint in a 1:1 ratio? Also as a medium do you use water or soap? Again, in what ratio to the oil paint? I am just completing a FA degree and am tired of using solvents but love oil paint. I am a biochemist and physiologist originally and aware of how dangerous organic solvents can be.
Sure, you can be careful, but I'd rather not have to worry about it.

Thanks,

Agnes

By: Dana

Dana — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 21:17:33 +0000

Yeah you’re probably right. Would be nice to narrow it down to a single culprit though. I will definitely look into egg tempera. Thanks for the tip.

By: David

David — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 23:46:49 +0000

@Dana -

Dana,

You seem to be one of those people with a sensitivity to many volatiles. It may not be any single substance. That’s a tough problem for a visual artist. If I had this problem, I’d probably focus on egg tempera.

Good luck.

By: Dana

Dana — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 23:08:05 +0000

I’m an artist and have developed a highly sensitive allergy to acrylics over the years. I’ve had to force myself to find a way to work in mixed media using the most harmless materials like colored pencils, water colors, torn paper and the like. I managed to find my style again but I would strongly recommend to any artist working with a potentially toxic material to take some simple precautions and avoid overexposure (prevention is key). I know it’s a pain - which is of course why I never did it - but just think of me and maybe you’ll crack open a window or two. :)

Side note to Koren: I would be very interested to hear if - as a chemical engineer - you know of any common material among the following products: stick oil pastels, kid facepaint (the cheap-o kind they sell for Halloween as a 6 pack of colors) and even certain brands of lipstick. Occasionally I have the same slightly nauseous reaction to all of these (and only these) materials. There has to be a common ground. But I’m completely mystified.

By: David

David — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:56:53 +0000

@Mel -

Mel,

I’ll stick with paints made of materials I understand. Oil paints cannot possibly be more toxic than heat set paints. Good luck with your choice.

If you sell your paintings, how are they labeled? Do you say the medium is “Genesis Heat Set Oil Paint” or what?

By: Mel

Mel — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:19:34 +0000

In reference to your topic of Genesis Heat Set Artists Oils, I have used them for about 3 years and absolutely love them! They make the issue of toxicity non-existant, therefore I don’t even think about it, as I did before when using traditional oils and mediums. They are far more convenient and do not require as much attention as traditional oils. I have used them in the studio and plein air. I dry them with my heat gun or put them in my oven and in 10 minuets, I’m ready to paint some more. What would take several weeks to product in oil, I can do in a day. There is no downside. You can do exactly the same things with heat set oils as you can with traditional oils. If allergies are an issue, they are definitly worth a try, as they are completely certified as non-toxic. There are no issues with this paint. It is the future. They are certified officially “oil paint” and are the best quality of archival material. Do your research and see what you come up with. It’s not just for “hobbyist” or “crafters”. It’s the “big boy” stuff and you will know it in the future. I highly recommend it.

By: Koren

Koren — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:59:59 +0000

One thing bears saying here - solvents aren’t just ‘smelly’ or ‘inconvenient’ - in virtually all cases, they’re also toxic (I’m a chemical engineer, this happens to be my field.) I know this is why I was originally intersted in water-soluble oils. Turpentine has a health rating of ‘3’, which in common usage means ‘not good’. Since many painters are hobbyists or work from home, they don’t necessarily have special exhaust systems set up to evacuate harmful fumes. Every painter who works with solvents should at a minimum search the web for the MSDS of the chemical that they use, and be sure that they’re complying with the recommended handling practices. Same goes for toxic pigments. Personally, I would not use any paint with significant lead content, or even allow it near my home. But if you do use lead, cadmium, barium, cobalt, or manganese pigments virtually all of them are classified as ‘hazardous waste’ in the U.S., which means that even small amounts shouldn’t be disposed of in the trash or down the drain. Waste water treatment facilities aren’t set up to deal with that type of contamination. Hopefully most artists know these things, but I’ve come across several who don’t, and it’s easy to assume that because a product is sold for hobbyist use that it’s completely harmless. Nobody needs to poison themselves or create a mini-Superfund site with their hobby. ‘Nuff said.

By: Roderick

Roderick — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:21:48 +0000

@Martin -

Der Martin

Could you confirm that you can take artists oils and mix them directly with egg ( i assume this would be wiyth the yolk)

Thnak you Roderick

By: David

David — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 23:47:43 +0000

Stephen,

From your description, it sounds like you may have a sensitivity to aromatic solvents such as spirits of turpentine, not oil paints themselves.

Here’s a post on oil painting without solvents:

http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2006/12/29/oil-painting-without-solvents/

You might want to give it a try.